In the February edition of the Tetbury Advertiser (because they don’t have a separate January issue), I’m talking about how to fit more into the New Year using a time-management method inspired by a simple kitchen device.
Having a birthday soon after the turn of the new year makes me feel as if time is passing me by too fast. Short, dark wintry days make it seem as if I’m up against a giant hourglass, its sands running away too quickly. Consequently, at this time of year I’m usually looking for new ways to make the most of every minute of every day – an impulse that diminishes as the daylight hours lengthen.
Just now, I’m testing the Pomodoro® Technique for time-management, invented not by a Professor Pomodoro but by university student Francesco Cirillo back in the Eighties.
The name Pomodoro® comes from the Italian for “tomato”, in honour of a simple, time-management tool ubiquitous in those days: the plastic, mechanical tomato-shaped kitchen timer.
How does the Pomodoro® Technique work?
You just set the timer for 25 minutes and work flat out until it pings. Then take a five-minute break, before starting over.
Knowing the ticking clock’s demands will be short-term makes you more focused and productive.
After four stints, you earn a longer break, before starting over. Breaking larger tasks into smaller ones makes them so much easier to complete.
Think of the Pomodoro Technique as the vegetarian equivalent to that old saw of eating the elephant one bite at a time.
These days anyone under a certain age might gravitate towards a more high-tech timer, such as the stopwatch function on their smartphone. However, an analogue representation offers psychological benefits.
Would Countdown contestants feel so pressured without the giant wall-clock behind them? I think not.
My daughter, powering through university assignments, introduced me to the best of both worlds: a phone app showing a pie-style timer, showing at a glance the proportion of time remaining. If you prefer old technology – or have a penchant for kitsch – plastic tomato timers are still readily available.
If you’re after more sophisticated methods, or would feel silly with a plastic tomato on your desk, the official website www.pomodorotechnique.com offers tips, tools and training courses for the business environment. Find out more about its inventor, now an IT wizard whose motto is “work smarter, not harder”, at www.francescocirillo.com.
Me, I’m happy with the basic tomato. If only it counted as one of my five-a-day…
If the Pomodoro Technique doesn’t work for you, take heart: this month you’ll have an extra 24 hours at your disposal on Thursday 29th February.
Happy Leap Year, however you plan to spend it!
IN OTHER NEWS
My latest novel, Driven to Murder, and the ninth Sophie Sayers Cozy Mystery, was published at the end of January and garnered high praise on its recent “blog tour” – when 21 different bloggers posted their reviews during the week of its launch.
This story hinges on the proposed cancellation of the village bus service – a crucial service to any rural community – and when Sophie Sayers and friends get involved in the campaign to save it, things don’t go quite according to plan.
The discovery of a dead body on the bus draws Sophie, now learning to drive in the perilous local country lanes, into her latest murder investigation. Outlandish new characters such as Leif Oakham, CEO of the Highwayman bus company, seedy driving instructor Saxon Arch, and his banned bus-driver brother Norman, join the regular cast in this fast-paced comedy mystery. Available now in paperback, hardback, ebook and audio from all good bookstores, online and offline.
Order your copy online here – or ask your local bookshop to order it for you
